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How to measure PR according to the Barcelona Principles

Last week I was in the audience for a panel debate at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in the United Kingdom.

The discussion turned to the value of public relations and how to get more bang for your PR buck. It then moved onto the best practice of PR as framed by
the Barcelona Principles: measuring PR success in terms of inputs,
outputs and outcomes.

Increasing awareness of specific deliverables with respect to the company's strategic objectives. (You also need to quantify these.)

Influencing the direction of proposed legislative controls on the organization's ability to achieve its objectives.

Managing any potential negative media coverage that could affect the reputation of the company.

Inputs

Inputs are, for example, background information and research. An analysis of current company perceptions could inform the planning of any PR campaign. Some
of this information could provide benchmarks you can measure against later.

For example:

The PR brief (information on organization or sector).

Desk research and original research (to inform the content of PR materials).

Pre-testing (messages and materials understood).

Outputs

Outputs are the messages the organization sends out. They're a quantified measure that can analyze the degree of exposure and audience reach, but can't
explain to what extent you've influenced people's opinions or behavior.

PR agencies build many PR plans around outputs. However, this isn't the complete picture and doesn't allow PR professionals to demonstrate the positive
effect their work can have.

This is perhaps the most important element of any PR program—and the toughest to satisfy.

Measuring outcomes is about understanding the degree to which PR has changed people's awareness, opinion and behavior. For example:

Was there a tangible incremental increase in sales?

Did focus groups confirm a shift in behavior, rather than just purchase intention?

Were there more brand advocates in this quarter compared to the previous quarter?

Outcome is the strongest basis for calculating PR's return on investment. It's also a valuable source of information that you can feed back into the
research, planning and measurement process for next time.

Ardi Kolahis author of "High Impact Marketing That Gets Results," published by Kogan Page. A version of this article originally appeared on the Vocus blog.